Shakib will play first Test against SL, says captain Mominul

Shakib Al Hasan, who just recovered from Covid-19, will play the first Test against Sri Lanka starting on Sunday, according to skipper Mominul Haque.

Shakib, who joined the team on Friday in Chattogram, turned up at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) on Saturday morning. He was seen speaking to head coach Russell Domingo and then team director Khaled Mahmud. 

Shakib left the field just before the practice session began and was all padded up when he returned after a few minutes. But at that time, Mahmudul Hasan Joy and Mushfiqur Rahim were batting at the nets in the southern end of the ground. Shakib had to wait for 10-12 minutes for his turn. After that, the southpaw faced some throwdowns. 

Mominul, in the pre-match press conference, stated, "He looked good while batting today I feel. Yes, he will play tomorrow."

"From what I have seen, he batted really well. I think he will play," Momimul said. "The good thing about Shakib is that he is psychologically very strong. If he wants, he can play the game despite the adversities.
 
If Shakib plays tomorrow's, this will be his first Test in this year.
 
After playing against Pakistan last year, he skipped the New Zealand Test series and missed the South Africa Test series due to family emergency.
 
"He is prepared to play the South Africa Tests but due to family problems, he had to miss that series. He was also doubtful in this series after being contracted Covid-19. But he now recovered and I think he is desperate to play."